Folding truck.



PATENTE-D MAR, 1s, 190e. ,W. P. MARKHAM.v FOLDING- TRUGK. g APPLICATION FILED JAN 11 1904 WILLIAM@MARKHAM ORPLYMOIITH,MICHIGAN ASSI-esos MARK-" Y.

f 'y ,HAMQIR "RIFLE COMPANY; 'on IiLYMQUTH; MicHenN.

Application iiled January ll., 1904:. Serial No. 188,576;

,Specication of Letters Patent.

.lacets-,wach 1.3.1996:

To all whom it may concern.- i I ence being had therein toy the accompanying? .drawings of avvtruck designed' to be used in'factories andother place'sto support various kinds of articles', such asl pieces'. of metalv or wood, which may be laid within aV-shaped bearing in the truck, or screws, nails,`or other similar I bolts, which maybe placedfin a receptacle `placedfinv said V-shaped bearing, or other artieleswhih maybe placed "upon a tableon the truck-top, 'all' the receptacles or` supports for the articlesnv being'of convenient height, so

'that the'truck may be loadedjand unloaded,

" or articles removed therefrom "without "the necessity of st ooping down, ywhereby the truck fis particularly convenient -for use for y'zarrying materials to beused'by workmen e either in connection with tools or in connection with abench.

` "Theinvention consists in the construction,

arrangement, and combination ofthe various parts, as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointedout-in the claims. y

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved truck, showing it open and' provided with a top in position to receive articles and also a receptacle in the V-shaped bearing. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the truck, showing it folded up as when not in use. Fig. 3 is ardetached perspective view of'a receptacle orvtray for the truck, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective illustrating the construction of the hinge by which the top bar is connected to the main frame of the truck.

A and B are two pairs of bars connected together by'a central cross-bar @preferably a rod or bolt suitably headed and engaged through all four of the bars A and B, so thatpoint C, while the two tie-barsD vand E are secured to the kbars 'A B, respectively, `-above that point, and their contiguous edgesare beveled, as shownv at F, so'v that in the open position ofthe truck the beveled edgestwill `come in contaet'and form'stops tolimitthe spreading ofthe framesformed by the barsA and B, and D and D', E and E In order' to e g Vstiffen the truck, I m'ayalsotie together the The invention consists in theconstruction i ofthe bars A to which it is secured, sothat in the folded or closed position oftheltruck it will act as a stop against thebars Bfto limit the folding movement thereof. At'thelower end 4of they bars B,'I'.ha'v'e" shownan'ajleI passing ltherethrough andtruck wheels J 'journaled on the outer endsther'eof '0n the f lower endsof the barsA, I have shown casterwheels K, so that the whole devicemay'be wheeled aboutconveniently. i

The truck thus described gives a rigid structure composed ofthe two frames Vformed 'by the bars A 'and B crossing, and within'the upper V- shaped bearing-above the pivot1 thereof vany suitable articles may be laid ifflong enough to span the space between the-'sides of the frames. ber of pieces of wood or bars of metal may be place. When thus stored, it will vbeiob'served that they are quite a distance above'the floor and are of convenient access'to persons havingI to use the ltruck without the necessity of vide this receptaclewith the legs M, secured to the sides thereof between the bars A and B and also preferably having feet N, so that when vthe receptacle is desired to be removed from the truck it will stand up on a bench and the articles used therefrom at the leisure of the operator, at the Sametime leaving the In this way'qu'ite a large num- IOO detachably secured, but I prefer to hinge it to Athe frames or bars, as shown in Fig. 4, by

In folded position the operator swings the top into the vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, removes the receptacle L, and simply turns the two frames or bars A and into substantial parallelism, in which compact condition the truck may be moved from place to place or stored in a small space or packed for shipment.

In practice such a truck is found to be eX- ceptionally convenient in factories for carrying a large variety of articles and when notin use can be folded and stored out of the way and occupy but a few inches of floor-space.

What I claim as my invention isl. The combination of the two wheeled frames A, B, the bars of each frame being connected together by cross-bars D, D', and E, E', in such relation that said cross-bars will act as stops to limit the angular movement of said frames, and a pivot-bar connecting the frames and upon which they turn in relation to each other substantially as described, the frames above the pivot-point being separated from one another by unobstructed spaces.

2. The combination of two pairs of bars A, B, the cross-bars D, D', connecting the bars A, and the cross-bars E, E, connecting the bars B, above and below the pivotal point thereof, the pivot-bar C connecting the two frames and a top extending between and removably secured to the upper portion of the two frames.

3. The combination of a truck, consistinor of two frames pivoted together and adapted to be moved into an X shape, stops to limit the angular relation of the "two frames and a top O hinged to the upper ends of one of the frames and adapted to rest upon the tops thereof or to be moved to hang from the side of said frame, the space between the pivotpoint and said top being unobstructed for the storage of articles, substantially as described.

4. The combination of two frames pivoted together and adapted to be moved into a substantial X shape, of a detachable receptacle adapted to it into the V-shaped bearing above the pivot of the frames, and legs M on said receptacle extending to the lower edge thereof adapted to support said receptacle upon a horizontal surface when removed from the truck.

5. The combination of the two pairs of bars A and B having the cross-bars D and D and E and E respectively, wheels on the lower ends of the bars, the pivot-bar C, the V-shaped receptacle L adapted to fit in the V-shaped bearing above the pivot of the bars, and the top O hinged to the upper edge of one pair of bars and adapted to rest across the tops of the bars or to be moved into a suspended position from one edge of one pair of bars, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a truck, of two continuous flat frames pivoted together intermediate their ends, a detachable receptacle arranged within the V-shaped space above the pivot, and a swinging top at the upper end of the frame affording access to the receptacle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. MARKHAM.

Witnesses:

JAS. P. BARRY, EMMA I. BARNES, 

